Do you receive a benefit from PBGC? If so, all or a portion of your benefit may be taxable. Each year, we report this information to the IRS and send you an IRS Form 1099-R that details the amount you received the previous year.

We'll mail your 2014 Form 1099-R to your address on file by Monday, February 2, 2015. If you don't receive your form soon after February 2, 2015, you may request a duplicate. Here's how:

Use our online service, MyPBA, to view and print a copy of your 1099-R tax form for the most recent tax year.

Call PBGC's Customer Contact Center to request a form by mail. The number is 1-800-400-7242.

When calling, remember to have your customer ID (PDF) or Social Security number, plan name and case number to help expedite the request.

While PBGC is required to withhold federal income tax, we do not withhold for state taxes. If your state has an income tax, you may owe tax on your PBGC benefit. To find out more, contact your state tax office.

Last Friday marked the official start of the 2014 holiday shopping season. And today, as many gear up to score "Cyber Monday's" best deals, many Americans are still struggling. And that includes a number of PBGC's customers. That struggle is reflected in the increased number of inquiries we have received about loans or payment increases.

PBGC does not have the authority to make loans. If you are not yet retired, however, you will have several options as to how your benefit can be paid. Options include different benefit levels for your surviving spouse or other beneficiaries. "Your PBGC Benefit Options" provides more information about these options for meeting your financial needs.

With members of Congress, President Gerald R. Ford signed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act(ERISA) of 1974 on Monday, September 2, 1974. ERISA established the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

On Sept. 2, PBGC celebrated its 40th year of protecting pensions. And yesterday, PBGC released its FY 2014 Annual Report, highlighting the agency's accomplishments and areas for improvement. The review period covers Oct. 1, 2013 through Sept. 30, 2014.

PBGC's deficit increased to $62 billion in FY 2014, up from $36 billion the year before. The deficit increase is largely driven by the declining financial condition of a few multiemployer plans. The deficit in the multiemployer program grew to $42.4 billion, compared with $8.3 billion last year. This increase is largely due to the fact that several additional multiemployer plans are now expected to run out of money within the next decade. But the single-employer program's deficit saw an improvement and dropped to $19.3 billion, down from $27.4 billion in 2013.

As more of our customers seek online service, we continue to look for ways to make our website easier to navigate. The following tools will help you reach your online destination quickly and easily:

A-Z index: Similar to the index in the back of a book, this feature lists the name of every page and our most popular documents. If you're not sure where you found that page you were reading last week, here's where you can track it down.

Search: This improved page links you to our most popular pages, such as the unclaimed pension search page. You can also use the search bar at the top of every page to search the entire site. Need help getting started? Visit our Search Help page for tips.

Glossary: We aim to write in plain language, but in the complicated world of pension benefits, sometimes a technical term is needed. For that reason, we've included a glossary of technical terms.

Earlier this month, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez visited PBGC to praise the agency for its good works and to acknowledge PBGC's 40th anniversary. At the same time, the agency officially ushered in a new era of leadership.

Alice Maroni was introduced as the Acting Director. Maroni is no stranger to the agency, serving as Chief Management Officer for the past three years. During his talk, Perez praised Maroni with a vote of confidence, saying the agency will be well-served by her leadership. "You are in very good hands with Alice." he said. "And we have all the confidence in the world, as I suspect you do as well, in her many talents."

Those talents were honed by a distinguished career in public service. Maroni spent a decade at the Smithsonian as Chief Financial Officer, before coming to PBGC in May 2011. Prior to that, she held leadership and management positions at the Department of Defense and on Capitol Hill.

"If you know me, then you know that I am committed to the mission of PBGC," Maroni said in her first agency wide address as Acting Director.

We'd like to highlight some recent updates to PBGC's Open Government webpage. The page includes important PBGC data sets, underlying data that supports PBGC programs. Additionally, the page provides information about how the American public can provide input to help make PBGC's work and performance even better and more engaging.

In accordance with the President's Open Government Initiative, PBGC has posted an updated version of its Open Government Plan [PDF], version 3.0. Our Plan reflects input from senior policy, legal, and technology leadership in PBGC, as well as our customers and visitors.